When Your Back Is Against The Wall

Failure to Monitor Fetal Heart Rate

Experienced North Carolina Birth Injury Attorneys

Today, giving birth presents far fewer risks than it did even just 100 years ago. While there are still some minor risks, advances in medical technology have allowed for greater safety for both mothers and infants during labor and delivery.

One such technological advance, fetal heart rate monitoring, allows delivery room doctors, nurses, and staff to carefully track the infant’s vital signs, as well as identify and respond to indications of fetal distress. This is critical in preventing serious injuries and even deaths in the event of birth complications.

Unfortunately, medical negligence can and does occur. When doctors and other healthcare professionals fail to monitor an infant’s heart rate, they can miss critical signs of distress. At Lanier Law Group, we work to hold negligent medical providers accountable for these life-altering errors. If your child suffered injuries or complications due to a doctor’s failure to monitor the fetal heart rate, contact our North Carolina birth injury lawyers to discuss your legal rights and options.

Call us at 919-342-1368 to schedule a free consultation at one of our multiple offices across the state. There are no fees unless/until we recover compensation in your case.

The Effects of Failing to Monitor Fetal Heart Rate

Failure to monitor fetal heart rate leads delivery room doctors and nurses to miss signs of fetal distress. Fetal distress is most commonly associated with oxygen deprivation, which can lead to many serious and even life-threatening issues.

For example, high fetal heart rate can indicate hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, as well as amniotic fluid infection and other problems. Low fetal heart rate, on the other hand, can point to problems such as placental abruption or uterine rupture, both of which can lead to oxygen deprivation. When an infant is not getting enough oxygen during labor/delivery, the doctor should immediately order an emergency C-section. Failure to do so can result in the baby suffering severe complications due to birth asphyxia, such as cerebral palsy, brain damage, seizures, and even death.

How Doctors Should Respond to Fetal Distress

When properly monitoring fetal heart rate, doctors and nurses can identify signs of infant oxygen deprivation and take swift action to address it.

Medical professionals are trained to take certain actions to limit fetal distress and birth injuries, including:

Changing the mother’s position
Reducing the frequency of contractions (typically with medications, like Pitocin)
Providing the mother with oxygen and/or intravenous (IV) fluids
Conducting an amnioinfusion (inserting isotonic fluid into the uterus)
Stimulating the infant’s scalp (used to accelerate heart rate)
Ordering and carrying out an emergency cesarean section

The last of these options, an emergency C-section, is generally the most effective. Once the baby has been removed from the uterus, doctors can begin conducting interventional procedures to resuscitate the child or treat birth asphyxia.

Contact Lanier Law Group for a Free Consultation

If you believe your child suffered as a result of a medical professional’s failure to monitor fetal heart rate in North Carolina, Lanier Law Group can help. We understand the immense difficulties you have already been through, as well as the challenges you still face. Our birth injury attorneys have decades of experience helping injured children, parents, and families seek fair and just compensation from negligent medical professionals.

We offer free initial consultations and contingency fees. There is absolutely no risk in speaking to an attorney at our firm about your potential birth injury case. We encourage you to reach out to us as soon as possible, as there are time limits to file a claim.

Call 919-342-1368 or fill out and submit an online contact form to request a free consultation.

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*Featured Case Results, Settlements, & Trial Wins From Our Attorneys

$4.8 Million

Settlement

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$3.1 Million

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The OB doctor’s negligence caused a delay in the baby’s birth which resulted in the baby suffering of a severe hypoxic brain injury.

$1.375 Million

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Our client died following an overdose of medication that occurred as a result of the negligence of the nursery staff while they were in the hospital.

$1.2 Million

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Our client suffers from a severe developmental delay following a birth injury when there were signs of fetal distress that were not responded to.

$500,000

Botched Gall Bladder Surgery

Our client suffered an injury to their common bile duct during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

$425,000

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A client had their bowel perforated during a ventral hernia repair.

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Featured Reviews, Testimonials & Results

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There are times in your life you are so hurt and feel life has a grudge against you. Nothing in your life is going right. I lost the most important person in my life to death, of which I knew mistakes were made because I witnessed it with my own eyes. When you contact a law group you most of the time get all business and a matter of fact conversation. I want all to know that from the first phone call they listened to my lengthy story, sobbing most of the time with so much compassion. They never made any promises but offered assurances that no stone would be unturned. They fulfilled every word they said. They restored faith that I had lost. Until you are in a position like mine you can never know how invaluable Lanier Law Group is. They were wonderful while maintaining their professionalism. They treated me like a family member. They really do care about their clients. But most of all they are the best at what they do. I worked in the court system for years so I knew how attorneys and law firms basically operated. Understanding the law and it’s interpretation is the ultimate key to winning any case. Also know that if an attorney/attorneys study and review your case and know that you don’t have a chance in a court of law and are big enough to tell you that instead of giving you false hope, you then my friend have a group with valuable shared values. I have so much respect for everyone in this Law Group. I recommend Lanier Law Group, P.A. to anyone who needs representation, they are in your corner. 20 out of 10 stars.

- Diane W.

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I started working with Lanier Law Group in 2020 on my Social Security Disability case. They from start to finish were awesome. My case manager Janet Hanks and attorney, Ashley Sappenfield were always available to answer all my questions. I did not have to do much but sit back and let them handle whatever was needed. My case took too long (2 years) and if I did not have Janet and Ashley My case would still not be approved. I would recommend Lanier to anyone to get the job done and approved. Do not go to another firm with your case, who promise the world and do not see it to completion and do not think another firms would have worked as hard as they did on my case. Lanier Law Group will always be the choice for me and all my family members to handle any cases of this type and other legal services they provide. They went above and beyond!

- Phillip J.

"So thankful for your expertise and professionalism"

Mrs. Gonzalez did an awesome job of explaining everything in detail and keeping me informed on the status of my case. Despite poor customer service with the insurance company, Mrs. Gonzalez was able to fix what they could not. Mrs. Gonzalez was very helpful with helping me understand things that I was not aware of when dealing with insurance claims. I am so thankful for her expertise and professionalism.

- Mario H.

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The staff kept me well informed in a more than timely manner and was always ready to answer any questions I may have.

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"The Lanier Law Group provided excellent customer service!"

The Lanier Law Group provided excellent customer service! My main contact was Denise.

- Malinda P.

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